Over time, dirt, dust and other contaminants can wear down and damage flooring. It’s always a great idea to place a decent doormat or rug in front of doorways to catch as much grime as possible from getting into the rooms of your home.

Cleaning vinyl flooring is easy and relatively inexpensive. With consistent and proper care, you can maintain the flooring’s attractive appearance over a long period of time.

You can always use plain hot water and a sponge mop if nothing else. Before doing any wet mopping, you’ll want to vacuum or dry mop the floor to remove surface dirt, dust and hair. Move the furniture; get into the corners and along the baseboards.

A great cleaner for vinyl or laminate flooring is a simple apple cider vinegar mix. The acidity of the vinegar helps take out dirt and grime without leaving a buildup of ingredients. (Mix one cup of apple cider vinegar with a gallon of hot water). Use a damp mop to clean, rinsing the mop frequently with hot water.

To disinfect as you clean, substitute white vinegar for the apple cider vinegar. If your floor is especially dirty, add a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap to the mixture. Mop once with the soap mixture, a second time with only vinegar and water and then a clean hot water mopping. (To add shine to the flooring add a few drops of baby oil to the vinegar/water solution).

Most bathroom floors take a beating. Bathroom floors deal with everything from constant moisture, wet towels and hairspray to overflowing tubs, toilets and sinks. Bathrooms are wet, wet, wet!

A number of considerations such as traffic, children, pets and visitors should come into play when choosing the right bathroom flooring.

Unyielding to water and moisture, stone flooring is considered by some to be the ideal bathroom flooring. That’s why so many hotels have marble bathrooms. However, stone is cold, especially in the winter, and can become slippery when wet. To counteract these drawbacks, radiant heat and area rugs help considerably with stone flooring.

Ceramic tile is also a great choice. Ceramic tile flooring resists moisture, is low in maintenance and very durable. Still, tile floors can be slippery and cold. Radiant heat can add warmth here and some ceramic tile textured surfaces provide a range of slip resistance.

A lower cost alternative for the bathroom floor is vinyl. It’s easy to install, comes in many different patterns, but is less durable than tile or stone.

Surprisingly, a number of people choose carpeting for the bathroom floor because it’s much warmer. However, most carpet is susceptible to water, moisture, mold and mildew and doesn’t protect the sub-flooring under it. These same reservations can be applied to hardwood flooring, though durable, in moist or wet conditions it can be severely damaged.

Although laminate flooring is easy to maintain and durable it also doesn’t mix well with water and is not recommended for the bathroom area.

If you’re considering new flooring for the bathroom or any other room in your house, come into one of our locations and talk with a Giant Carpet One flooring specialist. We can answer your questions and help you select the perfect flooring for you.

If your decorating prayers are for beautiful floors while the reality of your life is constrained by budget and practicality, versatile resilient vinyl flooring may be the answer. Resilient vinyl flooring can give you the beauty and durability you want at a price that won’t break the bank. It’s a great choice for kitchens, bathrooms and other areas since it’s easy to keep clean, is durable, water resistant and doesn’t fade, stain, or dent.

Resilient vinyl flooring shares some of the same qualities as carpet – it’s flexible and soft to walk on. Like carpet, it can go on a sub-floor that isn’t perfectly level. All vinyl floors are resilient and have that cushy “give” that feels so good underfoot. At the same time if you’re dealing at all with teetering toddlers, sippy cups, juices, various science projects, perhaps even wet animals, muddy footprints or gardening challenges – this is the right flooring for you.

Vinyl flooring comes in sheets, planks and tiles (Vinyl Composition Tiles or VCT) providing you great latitude for self-expression. Artistically you can use contrasting sheet vinyl to create large patterns. The tiles can be arranged any way you want them. Think stripes, checkerboard or dizzying diagonals or choose vinyl or resilient planks that look just like traditional wood flooring.

Vinyl flooring is for homeowners who want beauty, practicality and durability on a budget. Come in today and visit one of our Giant Carpet One flooring specialists to review the many options available to you in resilient vinyl flooring.